F1: How much do teams earn from the Constructors' Championship?

McLaren held the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship for the second year in a row for the first time since 1991, what do the teams win?

Throughout the 2025 championship and from Hungarian GP 2024 We have heard more than once the famous “Papaya Rules”, the rules that dictate the confrontation of the duo of McLaren on the track to ensure the best possible result for the team, an entity that must always be above the interests of the drivers and from there the question arises, how interesting can it be for a driver to win the constructors’ championship?

The only valid answer to that question would be a monetary incentive but that is where the matter actually gets complicated because, although it may seem otherwise, the pilots of Formula 1 They don’t win anything when their team wins the constructors’ championship and this is because…

Formula 1 does not have a fixed amount for each prize

Unlike other categories, F1 does not pay a fixed amount for each driver or team achievement, while in IndyCar Every time a driver wins a race they can receive between $30,000 and $100,000 (the Indy 500 pays much more), in Formula 1 The distribution of profits is made with the teams at the end of the season and strictly by the position in the constructors’ table, regardless of the number of podiums or victories that may have been achieved.

After the 2024 season, Liberty Media announced that the combined payment to the teams was $1.266 million. This represented an increase of 4% compared to the previous season ($1,215 million in 2023), and is estimated to be equivalent to 61% of the company’s OIBDA (Operating Income Before Depreciation and Amortization). F1.

Taking that figure, we are going to calculate how the money is distributed between the teams and that is why we must start with the most successful team and the only one that has participated in each season of F1the Scuderia Ferrari.

Ferrari’s age bonus

Being the oldest team, Ferrari It has an annual bonus that is estimated to be equivalent to 5% of the total prizes for the teams. A simple calculator tells us that simply by participating in 2024, Ferrari won $63 million dollars. The figure is more surprising when we take the team as a reference. Sauberlast ranked in the table, was paid a total of $57.9 million.

If it seems to you that this bonus gives an advantage to the big teams, then hold on, it’s coming now…

The bonus for past achievements

The payment that exists to recognize the champion teams of past seasons and as an incentive to reward the top three of each campaign of the last 10 seasons.

Although it has never been officially confirmed as calculated, it is understood that a points system is used granting 3 to the first place, 2 to the second and 1 to the third team of each season throughout the last 10 campaigns (last year was between 2015 and 2024), in that period, five different teams were among the top 3 during those seasons and between them they divide 20% of the total of $1,266 million dollars, which left the payments of the following manner:

Mercedes (24 points) = $101.28 million dollars
Red Bull (16 points) = $67.52 million dollars
Ferrari (15 points) = $63.30 million dollars
McLaren (4 points) = $16.88 million dollars
Williams (1 point) = $4.22 million dollars

Payment of prizes

75% of the total prizes for the teams for the championship are distributed among the 10 teams, with the champion receiving 14% of the total until reaching the last team, although the difference between each position has not been confirmed, it is estimated that between each place there is a difference of 0.9%.

With the figure of $1,266 million dollars, 75% is around $949.5 million dollars, which were distributed as follows:

McLaren – $132.9 million
Ferrari – $124.4 million
Red Bull – $115.8 million
mercedes – $107.3 million
Aston Martin – $98.8 million
Alpine – $90.2 million
haas – 82.6 million
Visa Cash App RB – $74.1 million
Williams – $65.5 million
Sauber – $57.9 million

And what do the pilots earn?

The drivers, the protagonists of each weekend, do not receive a cent from the F1 for winning the drivers’ championship, but they have performance clauses in their contracts that give them the right to collect bonuses for the number of points, podiums and victories they achieve during a season, however, that is an almost impossible figure to confirm because each driver has a different status and negotiating power compared to their peers.

A clear example of performance clauses is the situation of Kimi Raikkonnen and the team Lotuswhich offered $50,000 euros for each point earned to the Finn, who then scored 390 points in the 2012 and 2013 seasons, which almost bankrupted the organization for the payment of almost $20 million euros.

The drivers do receive income from the salaries contracted with the teams and from their personal sponsorships, sponsorships that would increase significantly if they became champions.

What happens to the trophies for each Grand Prix?

Something curious is that although the winning manufacturer of each race is awarded a trophy, which is given to the drivers on the podium, but which also belongs to the teams, the drivers must buy replicas of the trophies if they wish, although there are cases such as the trophy of the Sakhir GP 2020that Lawrence Stroll gave to Sergio “Checo” Pérez and the Canadian then bought the replica for the showcases of Racing Pointnow Aston Martin.

We were able to confirm with the Czech Perez that the drivers do keep the tires from the pole positions and the medals that have been awarded for some time to F1 drivers during the celebration of the podium of some races.

At the end of the day, each pilot Formula 1 They want their team to be the constructors’ champion because of the prestige this offers, but if the constructors’ result comes in the way of the drivers’ result, the majority will sacrifice the team because, while it is true that the constructors’ title can generate extra income, everyone wants to be number one and get the benefits that this entails.